I’d love to have one – or five – of these ceramic wrap vessels by Formantics in my hot little hands! Each piece is a bespoke handcrafted original artwork, with everything from the hand-drawn pattern to the glazing being completely unique.

Philadelphia-based artist Lydia Ricci literally turns trash into treasure. Each of her miniature sculptures is created from bits and pieces of scraps she collects and is based on a distinct memory. I like imagining the patience and dexterity that must go into each little creation!

I doubt there’s a more fitting start to the new year than Honor Freeman‘s porcelain bars of used soap and sponges. Fresh starts, wiping the slate clean, and many other sentimentalities ring true as each of us hammers out just what it is we’d like to accomplish in the twelve months to come.

Noticing and quietly commemorating the smaller moments that are a constant rhythm of the everyday continues to be a preoccupation in my work. I seek to make visible the relationship between us and the objects we use, the gestures, mundane activities and humble objects, like small markers silently measuring the hours and marking the days. Thoughts of preserving, measuring and marking time’s passing occupy the work during the making. There is a correlation between actions and gestures used when engaging with objects and those used during the process of making that informs the work. Using the mimetic qualities of clay via the process of slipcasting, the work playfully interacts with ideas of liquid made solid due to the processes of making that are fundamental when working with clay. The porcelain casts become echoes of the original (object), the liquid slip becoming solid and forming a memory of a past form, the essence of an object. Small moments caught and made solid as if frozen in time – liquid made solid.

As of this moment Fabio Viale is absolutely one of my favorite artistic discoveries of 2017. Staying true to his Italian heritage, Viale adds an interesting twist to already stunning marble sculptures – intricate traditional tattoos. Full back pieces, covered hands, shoulders, and more. Have a look at his portfolio to see what else Viale can do with marble (hint: it’ll surprise you!).

Juliette Clovis is a multi-disciplinary artist who focuses on the links between human and nature, the opposition between life and death, and the dialogue between tradition and modernity. Her exploration of female identity and the representation of women in contemporary society and its history is completely fascinating. The most recent porcelain female busts she’s created are completely transformed into hybrid beings, mixes of history, myths, and chimerical dreams.

Each of Kate MacDowell‘s pieces is sculpted out of porcelain, bit by bit, allowing for an otherworldly luminosity, plenty of strength, and the ability to show fine texture. Each work of art immediately takes on the appearance of a specimen being preserved and studied after passing away from the effects of environmental issues.

In my work this romantic ideal of union with the natural world conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. These pieces are in part responses to environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops. They also borrow from myth, art history, figures of speech and other cultural touchstones. In some pieces aspects of the human figure stand-in for ourselves and act out sometimes harrowing, sometimes humorous transformations which illustrate our current relationship with the natural world. In others, animals take on anthropomorphic qualities when they are given safety equipment to attempt to protect them from man-made environmental threats. In each case the union between man and nature is shown to be one of friction and discomfort with the disturbing implication that we too are vulnerable to being victimized by our destructive practices.

Oh my goodness – can you even begin to imagine coming upon Nagato Iwasaki‘s Torso sculptures in the middle of the forest?! Talk about an unexpected surprise. Each faceless figure is created from twisted, bleached driftwood that’s scavenged, then assembled to mimic the human form complete with musculature and organs. Iwasaki uses nothing but wooden stakes to hold his creations together.

Harriet Damave’s hand-painted porcelain cat brooches caught my eye several months ago and they’re still on my mind. Her technique – painting cobalt oxide on unglazed bisque – is rather unusual, she likens it to watercolor paintings because of the super absorbent surface. There are a number of other lovely items available in her shop – Harriet’s Blue and White – but I’m counting adding one of her pins to my jacket this fall.